


Maybe Merry Christmas

by Milkdreams



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Music, Christmas Party, December - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27840592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkdreams/pseuds/Milkdreams
Summary: It's a countdown 'til Christmas and magic is everywhere, but young New York City thugger boy, Ash Lynx, doesn't have the Christmas spirit. His only hope is his loyal companion; the eccentric and merry Eiji Okumura, but will his efforts be enough to teach the stubborn Ash the meaning and value of Christmas?
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Kudos: 23





	1. All of the Lights

December 1st in New York City; 24 days until Christmas and three months since The Notorious P.I.G. Dino Golzine choked on a Popeye’s biscuit, tripped, and fell over a side rail into a vat of boiling fried chicken grease on an unnecessary, unwarranted excursion through a Popeye’s Chicken factory. With his “tragic” death came the dissolution of the Italian mafia, hundreds of arrests made by the NYPD, and the return to normalcy for those who were subject to his power, control, and manipulation. Included in “those” was New York City’s least favorite white boy, Ash Lynx, and his ghetto ass friends.

Standing on the subway holding the metal pole with his red mitten, Ash looks out the window at the tunnel walls racing by as the subway train accelerates down the corridor to the next station. He stares at his reflection in the window; grim and threatening. The train clunks and rattles and shakes all the way to its next stop, and screeches loudly to a halt prompting a very concerned expression from Ash and the other passengers aboard the train.

When the doors open to let everyone out, Ash shuffles in line behind the rest of the passengers exiting the train and makes his way out. Upon entering the subway station, Ash suddenly hears loud, very loud, Christmas music blaring from someone’s obnoxiously large stereo set all the way down the aisle; so far down, no one is even sure where the sound is coming from. All throughout the station, they hear, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,”; bass boosted.

As the subway train shifts gears and clanks and whistles back down the corridor, Ash pulls at his ear and stares down the aisle in the direction he thinks the music is coming from, but he can’t see the source. He shoves his mitted hands in his coat pockets and goes about his business up the steps out of the station, away from the music, and into the light; the glowing light of the Manhattan sunset.

At the top of the steps, a familiar face surprises Ash when he looks up from the ground towards the horizon. Shaggy black hair, rosy cheeks, and a dark blue jacket, with a smile as wide as the arms open to embrace the thugger boy in front of him; Ash lights up when he sees his friend and approaches him.

“Eiji!” he says going in for a tender hug. 

“Ash,” Eiji says as he pulls him into his arms. Curious passersby steal a glance at the couple on their way past, but Ash and Eiji pay them no mind. After a moment, they separate, arms still around the others’ waist. Ash looks down at Eiji with a soft and tender gaze, smiling.

“You came to greet me?” he asks. Eiji winks.

“I came to meet you so we can go buy Christmas lights!” he says. Ash’s jaw drops. “It’s Christmas!” Eiji says as he lets go of Ash, puts his arms up in the air, and spins around. It is just then Ash notices the Christmas decorations around him and the Christmas music still blaring from the subway station below him; giant snowflakes hanging above the road and colorful lights in the shop windows down the sidewalk. Ash furrows his brow and groans.

“You’re into this stuff?” he asks. Eiji stops spinning and snaps his head back to Ash with a mischievous smirk.

“It’s American Christmas!” Eiji idol poses with his fingers in the shape of an “L” under his chin. Ash hunches over and groans again. He grabs Eiji’s hand and pulls it down.

“Don’t do that here; it’s embarrassing,” he says. Eiji grabs Ash’s arm and begins to pull him down the sidewalk across the street.

“We are going to get lights!” he says.

At the store, Eiji leads Ash down the aisles looking for the Christmas section for the perfect lights. Ash trudges along behind him mostly ignoring all the commercial Christmas products. Christmas music plays throughout the building and Eiji begins to hum along to the songs.

Even though the Christmas music itself doesn’t do much for Ash, listening to Eiji hum along to the music puts a smile on his face as he follows him. Soon enough, Eiji discovers the aisle for Christmas decorations and lights and he “Oohs” and “Aahs” his way down the row looking at all the different colors and styles. He picks up a box of gold lights and holds them up to Ash.

“Hmm?” he says.

“What?” Ash says. Eiji shakes the box of lights with both hands.

“The lights! Do you like these?” he asks. Ash looks at the lights.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” he says. Eiji’s face sinks. He looks down at the box of lights in his hands and puts them back on the shelf.

“Wait; Eiji-” Ash says with wide eyes. Suddenly, Eiji turns around with another box of lights and a big grin.

“What about these?” he asks again. Ash buries his face in his hand and groans, but smiles behind his palm where Eiji can’t see him.

Once they purchase their lights and go back home to their apartment funded by the money Ash “inherited” from the late (and crispy) Papa Dino, Eiji begins to take the lights out of the boxes and spread them on the living room table. While he takes everything out, Ash plops down on the couch and sprawls out.

“Will you help?” Eiji looks at him and asks.

“Christmas isn’t really my thing,” he says. Eiji looks back down at the lights he’s unraveling in his hands.

“Why?” he asks.

Ash looks up at the ceiling. He crosses his legs and folds his arms behind his head. In the space between Eiji’s inquiry and Ash’s response, the only sounds within the silence are those of the city traffic outside and the click-clack of the lights in Eiji’s hands hitting the table.

“I dunno, I’ve just never had a good one,” Ash says. His blue eyes dull as the memories of Christmases long long ago wash over him. Still looking down at his work, Eiji nods.

“Do you know St. Nick?” he asks. Struck with confusion, Ash looks over at Eiji.

“Why are you asking me that?” he says. Eiji sets down the string of lights in his hands and walks into the kitchen where a radio is plugged into the wall on the counter. He presses a button and the radio turns on. Out of the speakers, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” plays from the radio station.

Darkness creeps into the apartment as the sun falls to its lowest point outside the window, but Eiji, quick with a solution, scurries back into the living room, grabs a string of lights from the table, and plugs them into the wall. The white lights come to life and illuminate the room in a magical glow as he holds them up over his head and curls them around his body as he spins. From the couch, Ash sits forward and watches him with awe.

Eiji twirls and coils the string of lights about himself like a ballerina with a ribbon. With his back facing Ash, he looks over his shoulder holding the lights in a tight coil around his body and smiles.

“You have to give St. Nick your Christmas wishes!” he says unraveling himself from the lights. 

“Eiji, be careful!” Ash says as he stands up suddenly and reaches out to grab Eiji before he spins into the coffee table. Eiji dodges the table and Ash with a flowery grace akin to that of a forest nymph, and he takes up the lights above his head and prances around the room.

As Ash watches Eiji frolick around the room with the bright lights shimmering above his head and down his arms, the lyrics to the music contribute further to the beautiful scene playing out before him.

“There'll be parties for hosting  
Marshmallows for toasting  
And caroling out in the snow  
There'll be scary ghost stories  
And tales of the glories of  
Christmases long, long ago”

Set to the poetic description of such a wonderful Christmas, Eiji becomes in this moment all the more captivating and alluring to Ash; his heart pounds wildly in his chest with each of Eiji’s steps. Eiji jumps up and the lights fly up into the air; Eiji lands and the lights fall down.

“There'll be parties for hosting  
Marshmallows for toasting  
And caroling out in the snow  
There'll be scary ghost stories  
And tales of the glories of  
Christmases long, long ago”

These words, Eiji’s laughter, and the image of those shining lights wrapped around him fill those quiet, neglected spaces in Ash’s heart and mind and remain with him through the rest of the night and even further beyond.


	2. All for the Love of a Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a countdown 'til Christmas and magic is everywhere, but young New York City thugger boy, Ash Lynx, doesn't have the Christmas spirit. His only hope is his loyal companion; the eccentric and merry Eiji Okumura, but will his efforts be enough to teach the stubborn Ash the meaning and value of Christmas?

The morning of December 2nd; Christmas lights of all colors line every, and this can’t be stressed enough, every wall in Ash and Eiji’s shared Manhattan apartment. White lights in the living room; gold lights in the kitchen; tacky multi-colored lights (Eiji liked these the most) surround their shared bedroom like a barbed-wire fence for a North Pole penitentiary. In spite of all this, Ash sleeps soundly until Eiji’s alarm suddenly goes off.

While Eiji’s alarm does sound off at the same time every day, this morning, instead of the usual standard “beep”, “Happy Holiday” blasts through the speaker. Ash yells. He grabs his pillow from behind his head and presses it over his face and ears.

Eiji squirms out of his blanket and slaps around for his phone with his eyes closed. He swipes at the air a few times before he slaps the bedside table and snatches his phone from the surface.

“Turn it off; turn it off; turn it off!” Ash’s muffled voice cries. Eiji mumbles something unintelligible while he tries to solve the math equations on his phone to turn off the alarm. Meanwhile, the song continues to play.

“Happy holiday…”

“Happy holiday…”

Ash removes the pillow from his face and sits straight up in his bed.

“Eiji!” he shouts. On the other side of the room, Eiji runs his hand through his messy hair and stares down at his phone; pure anxiety in his dark eyes.

“I don’t know these! I don’t know this! Why are these problems so hard?” he cries. 

“It's the holiday season…”

“The holiday season…”

”So hoop-de-do and dickory dock”

“Tell St. Nick he can suck my cock!” Ash screams as he chucks his pillow across the room and hits Eiji in the head.

“Ah!” he yells upon impact. Ash leaps across the room to Eiji’s bed, grabs his phone out of his hands, and looks at the equation.

“16 divided by 16? Eiji, what the FUCK?” Ash screams.

“Happy holiday…”

“Happy holiday…”

Eiji slaps Ash back with the pillow as he keys in the answer on the phone. He solves the problem. The music stops. They both breathe a sigh of relief.

At the kitchen table eating breakfast, the two young men sit across from each other in silence. Ash crunches on his cereal. Eiji drinks his orange juice. 

On the counter behind Ash sits the radio they listened to last night while Eiji gave his light show performance. Eiji peers behind Ash’s shoulder at the radio and finishes his drink. Ash looks down at his cereal and chews his food thoroughly.

“Ash,” Eiji says as he sets his glass on the table and wipes his mouth. Ash looks up still chewing. “Let’s talk about this,” Eiji says. Ash looks down again.

“Talk about what?” he asks as he’s chewing.

“Christmas. Why don’t you like Christmas?” Eiji asks. Ash swallows and looks out the window behind Eiji. “Even if you’ve only had bad ones, this one can be different,” Eiji leans forward and says to him.

Ash rests his head in his hand and stares outside at the cloudy sky.

“What’s there to like anyway? People bust their ass to get out there; they work themselves to the bone just to go to these stores and buy these products nobody even really needs just for what? Christmas? The rich get richer and poor stay poor because materialism is a metastasizing disease, and these corporate CEO assholes are dealing in it; every year they make bank off these frivolous ‘holy-days’ we call Christmas or Halloween or whatever the fuck they convince us to celebrate through their commercial brainwashing, and I just don’t want to participate in it. I just don’t want anything to do with it,” Ash says. Eiji props his elbow up on the table like Ash and rests his chin in his hand and frowns. He looks at Ash then looks down at the table.

“Christmas is.. more than just that,” he says softly. Eiji scoots back in his chair and stands up out of his seat. Ash watches as he walks over to him. Eiji reaches out and cups Ash’s head in his hand and pulls his head up towards him. Ash holds his breath and his cheeks flare. Eiji leans down and captures his lips in a deep kiss.

“I want to take you somewhere,” Eiji says upon parting lips with Ash.

“We’re going on a date?” Ash asks when he opens his eyes. Eiji, hand still on Ash’s cheek, winks and smiles. Ash stares up at him; eyes full of light and wonder.

After finishing breakfast and getting dressed, Ash and Eiji board the elevator down to the first floor of their building hand in hand. Ash blushes beside him and looks down at the floor and their shoes as the elevator slides down the shoot. His stiff body trembles beneath his heavy coat.

“Ash,” Eiji whispers. Ash jumps a little in his shoes and looks up at Eiji.

“Hm?” he says.

“It’s OK,” Eiji says with a tender smile and soft eyes. Ash just stares down at him with his mouth hanging open. 

When the elevator doors open, Eiji pulls Ash out and they head to the glass doors where a light blue pick up truck waits parked outside. Ash narrows his eyes at the truck. He checks the driver’s seat.

“What is he doing here?” Ash cries. Lo and behold, it’s their friend, the journalist and ex-convict, Max Lobo. When Eiji and Ash exit the glass doors, Max smiles at them with a big, goofy grin and waves. 

Before Max notices, Ash tries to slip his hand out of Eiji’s grasp, but Eiji holds on tighter. Ash glares at him. Eiji turns around and shoots him a sly smirk. 

Max pops open the passenger door for Eiji and Ash to climb in. 

“Hey!” he says.  
“Hey,” Eiji says. He lets go of Ash and Max pulls him into the truck. He climbs into the back seat and Ash climbs into the truck after him.

“Hey,” Max smirks. “Like holding hands with your boyfriend?” he asks. Ash flares up and expressions of fear and shock flash across his face. Max laughs and starts the truck.

“Ash!” Eiji says. Ash turns his head slowly. Eiji holds up two thumbs up.

“Everything is OK!” he says and flashes him a cheeky smile. Ash turns back around, plants his arms on the door, and buries his face in them.

“You guys ready to go?” Max asks.

“Yeah! It’s American Christmas!” Eiji cheers. Ash yells into his arms. Max chuckles and pulls out of his parking space and accelerates down the road. 

“It’s American Christmas!” he says.

They drive for about 15 minutes until they arrive at their destination. As they approach, a lot full of prickly evergreen trees comes into view. Eiji pops his head up front through the middle of the seats with a huge smile on his face.

“American Christmas trees are huge!” he says. Max chuckles.

“They’ll have ones even bigger than this,” he says. Eiji looks at Max with awe and a sparkle in his eyes. Then, he turns and shakes Ash’s shoulder.

“Did you hear that? They’ll have ones even bigger than this; than these!” he says. Ash stares at him. Eiji slides back into the back seat.

“You’re probably not going to want a big one though, Eiji. Too big and it won’t fit in your apartment,” Max says eyes fixed on the road. Ash stares outside his window, arm propped up on the ledge with his chin in his hand. He watches the buildings and people pass by.

They pull into an empty space and park the truck. They hop out and admire the rows and rows of trees behind the fence beside them. Ash walks up to a pine tree and touches it.

“Ouch; shit!” he says as he snatches his finger back. Eiji walks over and touches the tree.

“Ouch!” he cries. 

“Are you OK?” Ash asks. Eiji sucks on his finger and nods. Max walks over and touches the tree.

“Aw, shit! That hurts,” he says and pulls his hand back. Ash reaches in his pocket and takes out his mittens. Eiji and Max put on their mittens too. They all reach out and pet and stroke the tree.

Once they locate the Christmas tree salesman, the salesman leads them to a section in the back where their small, baby pines are located. Compared to the trees they saw before, some of these little fellas only come up to Eiji’s knee while others go up as far as Ash’s head. Eiji takes a liking to the smaller ones and goes right up to them, kneels down, and pets one.

“I like this one,” he says. Ash walks up beside Eiji and kneels down in front of the tree. He takes its branch in his mitten and rubs the green needles.

When they purchase the tree, the company wraps it up for them and helps them load it into the back of their truck. With the tree safely stored in the back, Max thanks the helpers and Ash and Eiji climb back into the truck. Max hops into the driver’s seat and starts the car.

As they pull out of the parking space, Ash removes his hands from his mittens and puts them back in his pocket. Eiji yawns, leans up against the door, and closes his eyes. Max drives with a pleasant smile on his face and reaches to turn on the radio.

“Do you guys want to hear some music?” he asks. Eiji sits straight up in the back.

“Christmas music!” he says. Max turns on the radio and switches to the Christmas radio station. Ash props his arm up on the window ledge again and rests his chin in his hand. He looks out the window, braced and tense.

“You are listening to New York’s #1 Christmas radio station…” the voice through the speaker announces before the next song begins. 

When he hears the first note, Ash picks his chin up. That timeless piano on that familiar recording; he recognizes it as soon as it starts. Ash rotates about fully in his seat and directs his focus on the speakers and the music coming through them.

“John Coltrane!” Eiji says from the back. Ash cannot take his eyes off the radio display screen which reads, “My Favorite Things - John Coltrane”. From behind him, Eiji observes his new and strange behavior.

“We love this music at home in Japan,” he says. Ash continues to stare at radio; perhaps through the radio, to another time. Eiji watches him and smiles sweetly.

Memories of a December ten years lost to the ages return in waves through Ash’s mind. He stares straight at them; at all the images in his head; images of a lost boy and a shop full of toys; all the white snow falling from the sky; those tiny, red fingers reaching up to the place where the greatest dreamers sleep and even further in the reflection in his eyes.

“Look! Snow!” Max says. Ash wakes up from his daydream and looks out his window. Thick snowflakes rain down from the sky and fly all around in a flurry outside the vehicle. From opposite sides of the truck, Ash and Eiji admire the weather through the cold windows as their breath fogs up the glass.

As the music goes on and they proceed through the flurry, Ash presses his hand against the window and a small smile escapes his soft, pink lips. The piano, the sax, and Eiji in the back fill his heart once full of tragedy and regret, with peace, love, and happiness; a rare and beautiful thing.


	3. Let There Be Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a countdown 'til Christmas and magic is everywhere, but young New York City thugger boy, Ash Lynx, doesn't have the Christmas spirit. His only hope is his loyal companion; the eccentric and merry Eiji Okumura, but will his efforts be enough to teach the stubborn Ash the meaning and value of Christmas?

With Max’s help, Ash and Eiji haul their new tree up to their apartment. Max and Eiji carry the tree into the living room and set it in the corner while Ash takes a seat on the couch. Eiji brushes the dust off his mittens on his pants and casts a glare in Ash’s direction.

“Thanks for all your hard work,” Eiji says. Ash, reclining with his arms behind his head and legs crossed, opens one eye and smirks.

“You’re welcome,” he says. Max takes off his mittens and wipes his brow. He looks down at the tree that comes up just about as high as his knee.

“Some tree you guys got,” he says as he puts his mittens in his coat pocket. 

“I think it’s cute!” Eiji says. He walks up to the tree and brushes its quills with his mitten. Short though the tree may be, it compensates for its lack of stature with its impressive girth. The width of the tree expands at least three feet out (a little less than one meter).

Max stands back and sizes up the tree.

“She’ll look great with some ornaments on her. You guys have any decorations?” he asks.

“We bought enough lights to decorate a small village,” Ash says with his eyes closed. “But I think Eiji put everything we had up on the walls.” Max turns around.

“Whoa!” he shouts when he notices the strings of lights around him; rows and rows of lights zig-zag down each of the four walls. Eiji stands straight and tall with his hands on his hips.

“Did you leave any for the tree?” Ash asks Eiji. Eiji removes his mittens and scratches his head.

“I got carried away,” he says. Max steps over and puts his arm around Eiji.

“It’s OK. It’s your first Christmas in America. You have to go all out!” he says. “I can bring some of my old decorations over.” He releases Eiji.

“I think Marilyn Snow would like that,” Eiji says. 

“Is that.. what you named the tree?” Max asks.

“Yeah,” Eiji says. “Marilyn like Marilyn Monroe and snow because of the snowstorm we drove through on our way home. Marilyn Snow.”

“Why Marilyn Monroe though?” Ash asks. Eiji blushes.

“Because she’s beautiful,” he says.

“He’s got a thing for blondes,” Max says to Ash with a wink. Ash says nothing, but his flushed face speaks volumes. Max begins to walk towards the front door.

“I’ll be back in an hour or so. You guys need anything to eat?” Max asks. Eiji shakes his head “No”; Ash doesn’t reply. “Bye then.” Max smiles and heads out the door.  
When the door shuts behind, Max, Eiji walks over and locks the door behind him. On the couch, Ash lays down on his back then rolls over onto his side.

“I’m hungry,” he says to Eiji. He pouts and sticks out his bottom lip. Eiji runs his hand through his hair.

“Ash, did you finish your Christmas wish list?” he asks. Ash rolls over and turns his back to him. Eiji walks up to the couch, takes a knee, and puts his hand on Ash’s side.

“Isn’t there anything you want for Christmas?” he asks. No comment. Eiji sighs. He pats Ash and stands up. “I’ll get us some hot chocolate,” he says before he walks into the kitchen. Ash looks over his shoulder and watches him leave.

It only takes a few minutes for Eiji to return with two warm, white mugs of hot cocoa, and he hands off a cup to Ash sitting nicely on the couch. Ash handles the mug with caution, but to his surprise, the glass isn’t hot; like, at all. He admires the cup and Eiji’s particularly incredible ability to heat hot cocoa just enough so it’s warm, but not too much that it overheats the cup.

“Thank you,” he says. He brings the mug to his lips and takes a generous sip of that sweet, sweet cocoa; the nectar of Christmas. Eiji sits beside him and sips on his cocoa as well. Neither says a word; they sit in comfortable silence.

Suddenly, frantic knocks on the front door give them a jolt. Ash stands up so fast, cocoa spills over the side of his mug and splashes the couch and Eiji’s pants. 

“Ah; sorry,” he says. He sets his mug down on the coffee table and leaps over to the door. Eiji puts his mug down, gets up, and walks into the kitchen.

When Ash opens the front door, four people topple over each other into the room. His sharp eye recognizes all of them in an instant and he shuts the door behind them. The band of men and a boy encircle Ash. From the kitchen, Eiji watches behind the paper towel roll as he slowly unravels it.

“Ash!” the little boy among the men says. Ash kneels down to his level and looks up at him.

“Skip, what’s going on?” he asks.

“They’re going crazy out there! Ever since Papa Dino got done in by that dry biscuit, everyone’s been going out of control in the streets. Since you’ve been gone, they’ve been running around like they own everything. We can’t fight them off alone!” Skip says. “They’ve already taken so many of our bases; we only have one left. Please, Ash!”

Ash stands up and makes eye contact with the other three men; his subordinates and closest allies, Alex, Bones, and Kong. 

“It’s Arthur, isn’t it,” he says.

“That’s what we suspect,” Alex says. Ash looks over his shoulder at Eiji standing behind him with a paper towel roll in his hands. Ash turns around and faces him.

Eiji sets the roll of paper towel down on the coffee table, grabs Ash’s coat off the couch, and tosses it to him.

“Do what you have to; just come home safe,” he says.

“I will,” Ash says. He opens the front door and heads out with his men in tow. Eiji stands alone and watches the door shut behind them.

That evening, somewhere in a foul part of New York City, in an alley decorated with graffiti, litter, and perfumed with the iconic New York City funk, Ash and his gang face off against a gang opposed to them armed with weapons. From the back of the group, a man makes his way to the front with a pistol in his hand. Ash narrows his eyes at the weapon, but keeps his hands in his coat pockets.

“And to what do I owe this honor? To be greeted in person by the Ash Lynx, the beast of these New York City streets?” the gang leader says. Ash locks eyes with him. He walks up to Ash and gets real close to his face; the men behind Ash brace up.

“Things ain’t how they used to be when you were runnin’ round here; Golzine’s little lapboy. There’s bouta be some changes ‘round here so you betta wise up. Get ya white ass out of here,” he hisses in a low voice. The barrel of his gun presses into Ash’s belly; his men behind him creep forward and begin to surround Ash and his gang; men they didn’t notice before come in from all sides and block their exit. Ash’s eyes shift left to right and trace the movements. The gang leader presses his gun further into Ash’s abdomen and grins.

Back at their apartment, Eiji sits in the living room lit up with the warm glow of the white Christmas lights on the walls. Hunched forward, hands clasped, he looks down at the floor and his white socks. Alone on the couch, he seems tiny compared to the space around him filled with silence instead of the laughter and petty arguments he became used to.

After a moment, he gets up and walks back into the kitchen. He goes to the back counter and turns on the radio. Just as it turns on, “Happy Xmas, War is Over” by John Lennon starts to play.

Snow begins to fall again outside as all the men crowd around Ash’s gang in the alley. Ash knocks the gun out of the leader’s hand, kicks him in the stomach, and knocks him back a few feet. This serves as the signal for all hell to break loose, and everyone begins to fight.

Far from the first time Ash and his crew found themselves in a situation like this, they fare well against the ambush. Ash lunges for the leader who suddenly takes a knife out his pocket and tries to slash him, but Ash dodges and it only cuts his coat. His opponent charges forward with the knife and forces Ash back to evade the quick blade.

In the kitchen, Eiji leans on the counter and listens to the radio. From the corner of his eye, he notices a piece of paper sticking out of one of the drawers, so he opens it and pulls out the paper. Written in messy handwriting, it reads, “Christmas Wishes”. Disturbed, Eiji begins to read the rest of the letter.

“No more fighting. No more violence. A home safe from the people who want to hurt us.”

In the alley locked in combat, Ash dodges another blow from his assailant and grabs his arm.

“What’s your name?” he asks. The man smirks. He swings his leg up, but Ash releases his arm just in time to avoid the kick. His opponent hops back.

“Marco,” he says and leaps for Ash again.

“A way to keep Eiji safe without scaring him. A plan to keep Skip off the streets. A way out of New York City without leaving my friends to fend for themselves. A new necklace for Shorter’s sister. More time with Eiji.”

Eiji sits down at the kitchen table with his head in his hand and finishes the list. His eyes go up and down the words Ash wrote multiple times. As the snow falls down and blankets the city, the song on the radio reaches its end. Eiji looks up from the letter and watches the snow fall outside the window. He looks across the tops of the buildings shrouded in white and searches for the place where Ash disappeared into the night.


End file.
